Summary :
Introduction: Respiratory epithelial adenomatoid hamar­to­ma can occur alone or associated with several diseases with very different pathological processes. Our hypothesis is that REAH is a non-specific reaction of the nose when olfaction is impaired. Material and method: This is a retrospective study including all patients with HERA operated in an academic ENT department. Data analysis focused on the pre and post-operative olfaction, corti­costeroids consumption, histological results of the polyps, the evolution of the disease allowing a comparison of HERA with or without polyps and comparison of data literature. Results: 28 patients suffered from REAH of which 18 are associated with polyps. Nineteen patients had inflammatory disease with a 9 year interval between initial diagnosis and sur­ge­ry of REAH. Olfactory function was improved after surgery (p < 0.01). The cell content of the polyps showed eosinophilic infiltration in 8 patients which 6 were correlated with inflam­matory disease. Lymphoplasmacytic infiltration was present in 10 patients which 8 were correlated with inflammatory disease. Nasal cortico­steroid consumption decreased after surgery (p < 0.02). The mean follow-up after surgery was 34 ± 43 months. Polyp recur­ren­ce rate was 11% (3 patients), and 0% for REAH. Con­clu­sion: In most cases, olfactory function, cellular infiltration and polyp recurrence rate are not correlated with the pathophysiological inflammatory processes that coincides with REAH. Therefore, the co-existence of nasal polyposis with REAH is probably overesti­ma­ted.